Holiday Aspects that must go

Holiday aspects that must go
Every December you hear the phrase, in some variation, "Happy Holidays to You and Yours." What the heck does that mean and why do people only say it in December? Who are "yours"? Yea, yea, I know they mean your friends and family, but it implies that they are your possessions. The last time I checked, Ray did not have a clear title to me (of course, he is still paying on me. Been refinanced once or twice). Who are the main offenders to the "yours" annoyance? It is usually a newscaster doing a holiday promo, wearing a nice holiday sweater, in a dimly lighted room, with a fancy Christmas tree in the background. Or, it is your favorite meteorologist and his sweet little family, all in matching outfits (of course) sitting on the floor in front of a fireplace delivering the phrase. Oh, and the pre, intra, and post Christmas small talk. I know you don't care about what I am getting my kids (bike and some other toys), where I will be spending the holidays (Austin, Lampasas, and Mason), how my holiday went (great), whether my kids enjoyed Santa (one did, one did not), what I got (nothing except what my work friends gave me), and whether I am glad it is all over (still have one more to go this weekend). Please, don't ever feel obligated to make small talk with me. I have come to realize that people only use small talk to get to the real heart of what they want to talk about- themselves! And I am ok with that. Just come right up and let me know what you want to say about what is going on in your life. Often times, it is much more exciting than mine, so I enjoy it.